


Detour

by levele3



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Gen, Human Aziraphale (Good Omens), Mythical Beings & Creatures, Naga Crowley (Good Omens), enchanted forest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:40:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29988534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/levele3/pseuds/levele3
Summary: Aziraphale gets lost while walking through the forest.Human AU/ Magical Realism“Who are you, and what are you doing in my garden?” the voice hissedFor Kedreeva's March Flash Fiction Prompt Enchanted
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 29





	Detour

**Author's Note:**

> Rating is for some mild ogling Aziraphale does, nothing explicit.

Aziraphale was lost. Not that he would admit that, not even to himself. Pride. He was sure if he could just find his way back to where he made that wrong turn, he could get back on the main path through the forest. That had been more than thirty minutes ago. Carelessly Aziraphale had wandered off the well marked path and onto a deer trail when the sound of a bird caught his ear. It was a unique call from a bird that was thought to be extinct, no one had seen or heard the bird in more than fifty years. Without so much as a thought Aziraphale had followed the call.

For the first half of his detour he was excited and expectant. What if he was the one to rediscover the fabled lost bird of paradise, the Eden Hawk? Why Aziraphale would be famous, he was sure. He would become just as famous as the missing bird. His family would never want for anything ever again, and he could have all the books he could ever want. Then again, Aziraphale thought more reasonably, he had never much wanted for riches. To see but a glimpse of the elusive bird would be wealth enough. And though the bird cawed several more times, each time it sounded farther away, and Aziraphale never did catch sight of its supposed sapphire and ruby plume.

Oh well, perhaps on his way back… Aziraphale’s thoughts trailed off as he turned in place on the narrower path. In every direction the trees closed in. Not oppressively so, but still, Aziraphale was no longer sure of where he had turned off. He tried going back the way he thought he had come, but it was no use. Everything in the forest looked wild and strange. 

He remained calm. Aziraphale refused to allow panic to set in. He picked a direction and stuck to it. And oh, Aziraphale was so very glad he did.

The trail grew a little wider and the forest began to thin. Aziraphale exited the dense wood only to find himself, not on the path that would lead him home, but into somebody’s orchard. Both the sweet scent of ripe apples and apple blossoms met his nose. That really should have been his first clue that this orchard was not part of his world. The sun was bright and blinding, nary a cloud in the sky, the leaves were all a vibrant green. Aziraphale walked in a daze, awed by the scope of the orchard, and how well maintained it was. 

Aziraphale became distracted when he passed a row of trees and saw a flash of skin-tone between the green of the leaves and the lush red of the apples. His first thought was what was a naked man doing in the middle of the orchard? Then he reasoned that on such a warm day it was possible anyone working out in the garden might have taken their shirt off to try and keep cool. 

Sweat glistened on the well-defined chest, and Aziraphale shivered even as he stood in direct sunlight. 

Subconsciously Aziraphale knew he was staring, and dimly he was aware of the rustling of leaves, but he didn’t startle until a deep, calm voice spoke:

“Who are you, and what are you doing in my garden?” the voice hissed. 

A pair of large yellow eyes met Aziraphale’s, peeking at him through the foliage. The eyes were set in a lovely angular face, and long orange-copper curls cascaded down around the bare pointed shoulders.

Aziraphale tried to muster his courage, took a large gulp, and said, “I’m Aziraphale, and I think I am rather lost.”

His voice sounded weak, he was tired, and thirsty. 

“I took a wrong turn in the forest and now I’m here, can you please help me?” Once he had begun to speak the words became unstoppable.

“You’re human,” the gardener accused, narrowing his silted eyes. 

“Yes?” Aziraphale squeaked, was the other person not? 

“I haven’t seen a human for fifty years,” the other said delighted, a wide, sharp-toothed grin spreading across his face.

Fifty years! Thought Aziraphale, the face did not look like it could be older than thirty. 

“That means it must be the longest day. The vail only parts on the longest day of the year, once every fifty. Of your years, that is. Time works a bit differently here.”

“I’m Crowley, by the way,” Crowley said, extending his hand through the branches.

Aziraphale looked down as he reached out to shake hands and froze. Crowley was only human from the waist up, from his bare hips down was smooth obsidian and scarlet scales that formed a tail, like that of a snake. 

The same musical bird call that had first brought him off the path sounded again and Aziraphale looked up to discover the apple trees were full of Eden Hawks! 

“Beautiful, aren’t they?” Crowley asked following his gaze.

“They got trapped here, the last time the vail opened,” Crowley explained.

This place, wherever it was, was enchanted, and Aziraphale wanted to see everything before he had to return home.

**Author's Note:**

> I have wanted to write a Beauty and the Beast style thing for these two for a while now, where Crowley is part snake. I may revisit this at some point, or not.


End file.
